Message from Fr. Ciprian Sas
Come and See Dear Reader, This year’s theme for the Clergy-Laity Congress of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, speaks to all of us from the words of the Evangelist John when Phillip invites his brother Nathanael to “Come and See” (John 1:46) the ONE whom Nathanael later professed to be the “Son of God” and “King of Israel” (John 1:49). These words and message from the Gospel Reading of the First Sunday in Great Lent do and should resonate with us during the current Apostles Fast (ends June 29th) and the upcoming Dormition Fast (Aug 1-15). Though the Apostles’ Fast, for example, is clearly more lenient in terms of what we can eat (fish is allowed on most days), there really is no prescribed leniency or relaxation in our church attendance, our personal prayer life, or our sacrificial giving. We still need to “come and see” our Lord and one another in our communal worship. The visual character of our Orthodox worship through the presence of all the icons and the décor of our churches, as well as the engagement of all of our senses while worshipping makes our experience not only valuable, but perceivingly necessary. Many of us no longer come to church because of mere curiosity or because someone prompted/invited us; we come to church because we too, like the apostle Nathanael, firmly believe that Jesus Christ is the “Son of God” who came into the world to save us. Thus, gathering at His Home to worship Him together is indeed important, meaningful, valuable, essential, a necessity, a blessing, etc. – call it what you will and then come. Thankfully, we at St. John the Baptist have been blessed with more than decent church attendance for a while now, including Memorial Day weekend – how beautiful. However, if we have not seen you for a while, believe me when I say: “We truly miss you and we would love to see you soon”. Last, but certainly not least, Phillip’s kind words of invitation to his brother Nathanael will forever remind us of the missionary spirit that needs to manifest itself in our Christ-centered lives. As church goers, we need to also be the ones to invite others to “come and see”. Sometimes, our kind invitation is the only missing piece of the puzzle in someone else’s life. Even though Nathanael was one “in whom there is no deceit” (Christ’s words about Nathanael in John 1:47), it was his brother Phillip’s invitation that initiated Nathanael’s direct interaction with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Phillip served the Lord by bringing Nathanael to Him; we all can and should serve the Lord by inviting others to “come and see” our church, our faith, our parish family. Let them see that we find comfort here though we willingly struggle also; we feast and eat together (sometimes very abundantly) though we fast and abstain together too. Let them see we are Orthodox.
In Christ, Rev. Fr. Ciprian Sas Parish Priest |
